The present disclosure relates to a commercial vehicle with a control means connected with the drive of the commercial vehicle and to a method for controlling a commercial vehicle.
For the operational safety of commercial vehicles, in particular construction vehicles such as floor conveyors like lift trucks, reachstackers, wheel loaders, and vehicles with chain drives such as cable excavators or hydraulic excavators, dumpers or mobile cranes, it is necessary that these vehicles can also be brought to a standstill on a greater uphill gradient. For the solution of this technical problem it is known from the prior art to equip such vehicles with an additional service brake. Furthermore, it is known that these vehicles are provided with hydraulic drives. These hydraulic drives generally obtain their energy from conventional combustion engines, in particular diesel units.
In a wheel loader, for instance, the power flow between the working hydraulics and the driving hydraulics is controlled by a so-called “inch pedal”. In this way, the driving speed of the commercial vehicle, here the wheel loader, can be controlled independent of the working hydraulics. For instance, if this wheel loader should now be brought to a standstill on a greater uphill gradient, the service brake must be activated in addition. This service brake can be one or more conventional disk and/or drum brakes, which bring the vehicle to a standstill by a frictional/clamping effect. These service brakes must be present, as otherwise a complete standstill could not be achieved due to the hydraulic drives and their internal leakages.
These service brakes necessitate additional technical devices, such as additional actuating elements like additional brake pedals or corresponding switches, whereby the work-place becomes confusing for the operator of the commercial vehicle.
Corresponding service brakes are also known for floor conveyors, for instance for reachstackers. Reachstackers mostly employ a hydraulic converter transmission. Due to the power losses of these additional service brakes as a result of the braking heat, additional cooling circuits must be provided, which increase the weight of the reachstacker and its complexity.
In general, the solutions for standstill brakes for commercial vehicles known from the prior art have the disadvantages that on the one hand they are subject to wear and on the other hand they tend to a higher complexity and hence susceptibility to faults in operation.
Therefore, it is the object of the present disclosure to overcome the disadvantages known from the prior art and in particular provide standstill brakes for commercial vehicles, whose wear is reduced and which in addition provide for a smooth start of the commercial vehicles on any uphill or downhill gradient.